Automobile-switch.



H. W. YOUNG L A. s. PEARL.

AUTOMOBILE SWITCH.

I APPLITION FILED DEU. 8. 1911. 1,104,093n Patented July 21,1914u ATED is'iATEs PATE r onirica.

HERBERT W. YOUNG, F CHICAGO, AND ALIEN' S. PEARL, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE-SWITCH.

To all 'whom it may concem:

Be it know'n that we, HERBERT W. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, and ALIEN S. PEARL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Maywood, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automobile-Switches, andv declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will 4enable others skilled inthe art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specication.

The primary object of our invention is to produce an electric switch which cannot be tampered with so as to be operated maliciously or accidentally by an unauthorize person.

A further object of our invention is to produce a simple and novel electric switch our invention ischaracterized will'hereinafter be pointed out with particularity -in the claim; but, for a fullunderstanding of our invention and of its various objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein: V

Figure 1 is a back view of 'a switch arranged in accordance with a preferred form fof .our invention,the box or casing being shown in section; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Aand Fig. 3 is a section through the body.`l cfan automobile ad]acent i to theseat, showing one method of. mounting the switch in an electric automobile.

Referring to the 'drawing 1 represents a plate, preferably of metal,"on one side ofl lwhich is mounted a slab 2 of insulating material. On the member 2 are mounted two separated blocks 3 of good conducting material. The members 3 serve as the stationof the switch and may also,

-wit-h an openin conductor may .held in place Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 21, 1914, Application led December 8, 1911. SeraLNo i conveniently form the switch terminals;

leach block being illustrated as provided 4 into which the end of a v e` inserted. On the plate is secured a bracket 5 which extends out from vthe plate at some distance beneath the contact .pieces 3,

6 1s a stem or rod lying between the c'ontact pieces 3 and having its lowerend extending freely through an opening in the bracket. The stem or rod is surrounded by a thick sleeve 7 of insulating material which is shaped to tit slidably in jaws 8 in the sides of the contact pieces which face each other. The contact pieces therefore serve as a bearing or support for one end of the rod or stem.

The insulating) sleeve may conveniently be y providing the rod or stem with a head 9 on its upper end, the sleeve being locked between the head and suitable clamping devices on the rod or stem at the lower end of the sleeve. ment shown, there is mounted on the lower end of the insulating sleeve a movable switch arm or contact piece 10, this being engaged by a washer l1 of insulating material, followed by a metal washer 12 and a nut 13 screwed upon the rod or stem. When the several parts are assembled on the stem and the nut is tightened, the movable contact piece is heldin operative relation tothe stationary contact pieces and is insulatedv from the remainder of the switch structure except when it engages withjthe stationary In the arrangecontact pieces. A spring 14; surrounds -the rod or stem and engages at one end with the nut 13 and at its other end vwith 'the tgp of the bracket 5, the parts being so designed' that when free to do so the spring raises the movable switch member so as to bring the movable contact piece into engagement with the stationary contact pieces, thus closing the switch; the switch being opened. by depressing the movable switch memberagainst the tension of the spring. The insulating slab ispreferably made long enough so that the movable contact piece vdoes vnot drop below the lower end of the slab when the switch is opened .and therefore, by placing the movable switch arm close to the front face Vof the slab, the switch arm is prevented lfrom turning about a vertical axis. This makes 'it unnecessary to ke the various parts together to prevent -re ative rota'titmA the. construction simpler and and makes cheaper.

w of the movable switch member to yield suflat . mately above the j parts illustrated, the

' again be closed until a proper ficiently when the switch is closed to insure a good contact over a considerable area. Furthermore, by making the angles of the members 16 somewhat greater than the angles of the cooperating faces on the movable contact pieces, a sliding or wiping contact may be obtained, this serving to burnish the contact faces and keep them in good condition.

For the purpose of operating the switch we have secured in the supporting plate just above the insulating slab a lock barrel 17 preferably of the type in which there is a tumbler sleeve carrying a series of tumblers which make an accurately fitted key necessary. In the arrangement shown the barrel projects on opposite sides of the supporting plate, its inner end lying approxiaxis of the movable rod or stem and its outer end lying far enough beyond the outer face of the plate to permit the plate to be secured on the back of a panel with the barrel projecting through the panel and having its outer end flush with the front of the panel. This particular arrangement, especially the extent to which the barrel projects beyond the front of the plate, is ofcourse not essential as it will of course-be understood that various other dispositions of the barrel may be made, depending upon the nature of the use to which the switch is to be put.

A tumbler sleeve 18 extends through the barrel and carries on its inner end a finger or cam 18 which lies directly above the'head on a switch stem so that when the sleeve is turned in one direction the cam or finger will depress the movable switch member and open the switch; while upon turning the sleeve in the opposite direction the movable switch member will be left free to be lifted by the spring into engagement with the stationary contacts. In the positions of the tumbler sleeve is so situated that the tumblers 2O may rise into the passages 21 in the barrel, thus permitting the key 22 to be withdrawn. In this position the switch is open and, after the withdrawal of the key, the switch cannot key is into lift the tumblers into the po- When this is done theserted so as sitions illustrated.

sleeve may be turned so as to bring the finger or cam 18 into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This leaves the movable switch member free to rise and close the circuit. -However, the key cannot now be withdrawn because the portions of the tumblers carried by the sleeve do not register with the passages in the barrel and therefore ythese tumbler members act as positive locks to prevent the withdrawalv of the key. It

is therefore necessary for the user to turn the key back so as to bring the parts into the positions indicated in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 before the key can be withdrawn. Thus the user must always open the switch before the key can be withdrawn and, unless he forgets to withdraw the key, the switch is always left locked in an open position. It is preferable to provide stop pins 23 and 24 which limit the angular movement of the tumbler sleeve by engaging with the finger or cam 18 as the sleeve is turned. The first pin is so located that it engages with the cam or finger when a switch is opened and the tumbler sleeve is properly located to permit the withdrawal of the key; while the pin 24 is preferably located so as to insure that the cam or finger will be swung fully clear ofthe upper end of the switch stem before being arrested.

The switch and its operating mechanism may be housed by means of a suitable casing or cover 25 placed against the back of the supporting plate; the cover being provided with suitably insulated inlets 26 through which the electric conductors 27 may be passed.

In Fig. 8 .we have illustrated one manner of mounting our improved switch on an electric automobile. The supporting plate 1 is made somewhat longer than the cover or casing 25 so as `to provide flanges which may be perforated as indicated at 28 to receive screws or other fastening devices. The front of the supporting plate is laid against the rear face of the panel 30 supporting the front end of the automobile seat 31, the barrel extending through an opening in the panel so 'as to bring its front end fiush with the outer surface of the panel. The switch device is then secured in place by means of screws or other fastening devices introduced through the holes 28 into the panel. It will thus be seen that the entire switch is concealed and housed within the space beneath the seat so that it cannot be reached by..an unauthorized person who has not the proper key, without vdestroying the supporting panel or some other portion ofthe automobile structure. At the same time the switch is within easy reach of an operator on 'the seat, it being onl necessar to reach down and insert the rey into tie exposed key hole.

with particularity only a single preferred `form of our invention, we do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described, but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which fall within the terms employed in the definitions of our invention constituting the appended claim.

We claim:

In combination, a supporting plate, two

-separated stationary contact pieces mounted an insulating sleeve on said stem, said contact 'pieces being shaped to form' a guide for said sleeve, a mbvable switch piece carried by said stem, a spring between the stem and the bracket tending to force the* stem in the direct-ion to carry said movable switch piece into engagement with the stationary Contact pieces, and an actuating member for said stem mounted on said plate in proximity tothe free end thereof.

In testimony whereof, we sign 'this speci-` u cation in the presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT W. YOUNG.

. ALLEN S. PEARL.

Witnesses:

WM.. F. FREUDENREICH, RUBY V. BRYDGES. 

